Bearing member for sheet material roller feed



A. STOCK Sept. 17, 1968 BEARING MEMBER FOR SHEET MATERIAL ROLLER FEEDOriginal Filed July 29, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. A UG'UST STOCK ia I F A r romws rs Sept. 17, 1968 A. STOCK 3,401,929

BEARING MEMBER FOR SHEET MATERIAL ROLLER FEED Original Filed July 29,1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR, A was r 5 706K ATTORNEYS United StatesPatent 3,401,929 BEARING MEMBER FOR SHEET MATERIAL ROLLER FEED AugustStock, Alsfeld, Hesse, Germany, assignor to Moore Dry Kiln Company,Jacksonville, Fla., a

corporation of Fiorida Original application July 29, 1964, Ser. No.385,883, now Patent No. 3,324,571. Divided and this application Mar. 24,1967, Ser. No. 632,491

3 Claims. (Cl. 271-50) ABSTRAT THE DISCLOSURE A self-aligning bearingmember for feed rolls of a sheet material dryer, the block havingexterior grooves and channels cooperating with mounting knobs and guidesof the dryer frame. The block is interchangeable between lowersupporting feed rolls and upper floating rolls.

This application is a division of my copending application Ser. No.385,883, filed July 29, 1964, entitled, Dryer for Sheet Material, nowU.S. Patent No. 3,324,571.

This invention pertains to sheet material dryers, and particularly todryers of the jet tube type.

The invention is particularly adapted to the drying of wood veneer.

A general object of the invention is to provide an improved sheetmaterial dryer, and particularly to improve the feed roll bearingarrangement thereof.

A specific object of this invention is to provide an improved bearingmember for feed rolls and mounting means therefore, and particularly abearing member which may be used interchangeably for upper floatingrolls and lower supporting rolls.

The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of thisinvention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its organization and method ofoperation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, maybest be understood by reference to the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a portion of a sheet material dryerincluding portions broken away and in section;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken generally alongline 22 of FIG. 1 showing details of the rollers, and bearings and drivefor the rollers;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 33 of FIG. 2 showing detailsof the bearing and mount for an upper floating roller;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 2 but on afurther enlarged scale showing details of the bearing and mount for alower driven roller;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the bearing taken along line 55 of FIG. 4,the roller shaft being omitted;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the bearing and mount for the lower drivenroller taken along line 66 of FIG. 4, the roller shaft being omitted.

A sheet material dryer embodying varying arrangements of the type hereindisclosed is described in detail in my above Patent No. 3,324,571. Astherein more fully described, the dryer 1 as shown in FIG. 1 hereof,comprises dryer sections 4 and 5 separated by a partition 93 having aslot 94 for passing sheets, such as sheet 86, from section 4 to section5 along the path indicated by arrow 65. Veneer sheets enter at end 7 ofthe dryer which is closed by housing end wall 22.

The heating chamber 34 is provided with a gas burner 35, and a fan 36disposed in opening 71 in partition 72. The fan blows gaseous mixtureinto pressure chamber 3,481,929 Patented Sept. 17, 1968 69 in whichburner 35 is located, a portion of the mixture being deflected by vane73 out through vent stack 38.

Heated gaseous mixture from the pressure chamber enters the jet tubes,including tubes 14, 44, 45, 99, 100, 108 and 125, through the endsthereof remote from the viewer of FIG. 5 to escape through slotsdirected toward the sheet material paths.

The dryer comprises upright supporting channel members, including member57, between adjacent ones of which the horizontal support members 56extend, and these upright members foot on a rigid foundation, includinga sill 74 and concrete pad 75. The full support for the jet tubes at therearward side of the dryer is provided through the upright members, suchas member 57. Each of these upright members is connected, as by a bolt76 to an upper frame member 77 which extends only for the length of thesection and which terminates at upright 78, to which it is joined by abolt 79 passing through longitudinal slot 80 in member 77. Member 77may, accordingly, expand and contract longitudinally without causing anymovement of member 78, and the horizontal frame member 81 of section 5,which is also attached to member 78 by bolt 79 through a slot in member81, is similarly unaffected by expansion and contraction of member 77.Throughout the length of the dryer, at least one end of each horizontalframe member is provided with a slip joint or expansion joint connectionto the similar frame members of the next occurring sections. While aslot 80 is shown in member 77 at post or support 78, such slot may notbe necessary if end wall 22 is permitted to bow slightly inwardly andoutwardly with expansion and contraction of member 77, and if a slipjoint is arranged at at least one end of member 81. It is to be notedthat there is no rigid direct connection between the outer housing andthe inner section frame elements which would, due to thermal expansionand contraction, interfere with the alignment of the jet tubes 14 anddrive rollers. The tubes and rollers of each section are supported bythe uprights, such as members 30 and 57, directly from the foundation,and once properly adjusted in height to feed material, such as theveneer sheet 86, in a straight path represented by an arrow at 65 fromone end to the other of the dryer, this adjustment is substantiallyunaffected by temperature changes, except for very small changes inheight above the foundation due to change in length of the uprightmembers, which changes take place substantially uniformly and are notobjectionable. Twisting effects on the section frames are, accordingly,minimized. Such expansion and contraction of members extending fromfront' to back of each section as may occur result in no appreciabletwisting or straining of the roller deck, jet tube and frameconstruction. Since the outer housing is not rigidly connected to thesection frame, the outer housing, which may include large sheets ofmetal, may twist and buckle from temperature changes withoutinterference with the roll and tube alignment.

The upright frame members, such as upright 57, support not only theadjacent jet tube ends through support rods 54 and 55 and cross memberssuch as member 56, but also support the weight of driven feed rolls,such as rolls 82 and 83, the weight of driving chains for the drivenrolls, including chains 17 and 18, and, since the weight of floatingrolls 84 and 85 is supported by the underlying driven rolls, both when aveneer sheet 86 is interposed therebetween and when there happens to beno sheet between the rolls, the uprights also carry the weight of thefloating rolls, plus the slight weight of the veneer sheet.

Each driven roll is provided with a chain sprocket, such as sprockets"87 and 132, cooperative with a drive chain, such as chain 18. Aplurality of supports 88, 89 are at- 3 tached to the frame uprights tosupport the return flight of each chain, such as flight of chain 17.

Each of the jet tubes has a closed end 91'which may be provided with acleanout opening closed by a moveable vane or door 92.

Section 4 is seen to be separated from section 5 by a partition 93 whichhas a slot therethrough at each veneer path, such as slot 94 for path65, through which the veneer passes from section to section and fromzone to zone. The slot edges, such as shown at 103, incline in thedirection of travel of the sheet material. Since sections 4 and 5 areincluded in the same green end zone, partition 93 terminates athorizontal partition 33, and no partition separates heating chamber 34of section 4 from heating chamber 95 of section 5.

Referring now to FIG. 2, roller 127 is mounted on shafts 128 and 129which extend from the ends of the roller and which are journalled inbearing blocks or sleeves 130 and 131, respectively. Means, such ascollar 130a, may be provided to prevent the blocks such as block 130from sliding along shaft 128. Shaft 129 carries sprocket 132 in drivenengagement with chain 17. Shaft 128 carries star gear 96 in drivingengagement with gear 97, which, in turn, is carried by shaft 133 of thefloating roller 134 whereby the rollers rotate together to advance thesheet material 135 being treated. At the drive side, roller 134 includesa shaft 136 journalled in bearing block 137, while shaft 133 at thepressure side is journalled in bearing block 138. Bearing blocks 130,131, 137 and 138 are identical and interchangeable, but blocks 130 and131 are mounted to stanchions 31 and 30 at fixed elevation, while blocks138 and 137 are arranged to float up and down to permit roller 134 torest upon roller 127 when no material 135 is therebetween and to adjustfreely to the thickness of the material 135 and to ride thereon whensuch material is being fed by the rollers. It will be noted that avertical clearance slot 139 is provided in the Web 140 of stanchion 31to provide clearance as shaft 132 works up and down. The star gears 96,97 are of a type to provide efficient operation with variable spacingbetween the shafts 128 and 133.

As seen in the top sectional detail view of FIG. 3, each flange ofchannel member stanchion 31, such as flange 141, carries an inwardlydirected vertical guide member, such as member 142, which may be in theform of a halfround rib, and which fits loosely in a respective verticalchannel 143 of block 138. The block is thus caged between the flanges ofstanchion 31 free to ride up and down. The fit of the block between theguides is sufliciently loose that the block can adjust to any slightdeparture from precise alignment of the roller, such as may result fromslight warping of a stanchion, or from the presence of a veneer sheetnear one end and no veneer sheet at the other end of the roller. Theguides terminate a short distance above and below the normal blockposition, and, when gear 97 is removed from shaft 133, the shaft may heraised sufliciently to disengage the block from between its guides,whereupon it may he slipped from the shaft. With block 138 removedsuflicient movement of the roller 134 is permitted to free shaft 136from block 137, whereby it may be removed. Block 130 is removable fromshaft 128 when collar 130a and gear 96 are removed, and block 131 isremovable when sprocket 132 is detached.

Block 131 is mounted as seen in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 between the flanges144, 145 of stanchion 30. A respective knob or stud 146, 147 extendsinwardly from each of the flanges 144, 145' and supportingly engages ina respective open ended groove 148, 149 formed in the block 131. Thegrooves 148 and 149 open at one face 150 of the block, they extendparallel to the bearing axis, or longitudinally of the block, throughslightly more than one-half of the length of the block, terminatingshort of the opposite block face 151, and they are, as shown,diametrically oppositely disposed. The block, as mounted on studs 146and 147, is free to tilt on the horizontal stud axis which is at rightangles to the shaft 129. While the mounting maintains block 131 at afixed elevation, the fit of the studs into the grooves is sufficientlyloose to permit the bearing, as with bearings 137, 138, to be selfaligning on the respective roller shaft. Block 130 is mounted betweenthe flanges of stanchion 31 in the same manner in which block 131 ismounted on stanchion 30.

The lateral diametrically oppositely disposed channels 152 and 153 whichextend at right angles to the bearing axis of block 131, and whichcorrespond to the similar channels, including channel 143, of block 138,permit interchangeability of the bearing blocks. Since blocks 130 and131 must carry the weight of both rollers 127 and 134, these bearingswear more rapidly than the bearing surfaces of blocks 137, 138 whichmerely serve as aligning or guide bearings. Since the servicerequirements of bearings in dryers tend to be severe due to elevatedtemperatures' and often corrosive atmospheres, a substantial saving inbearing cost may be gained by interchanging the bearing blocks used forthe driven rollers with those used for the floating rollers after aperiod of service.

The bearing blocks each comprise a solid cast iron, or the like shell orblock portion 154 formed to receive coaxially a cylindrical sleeve liner15S pressed therein and which is of bronze or other suitable sleevebearing material.

While only certain preferred embodiments of this invention have beenshown and described by way of illustration, many modifications willoccur to those skilled in the art and it is, therefore, desired that itbe understood that it is intended in the appended claims to cover allsuch modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of thisinvention.

What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by LettersPatent of the United States is:

1. In a sheet material dryer comprising a material advancing roller andan overlying cooperating floating roller and pair of upright supportingframe elements, each of said rollers having a shaft extending betweensaid elements, a respective inwardly disposed vertical guide on eachsaid element at the approximate level of said shaft of said floatingroller, a respective inwardly directed knob on each said element at thelevel of said shaft of said material advancing roller, said shaftshaving substantially equal diameters, a bearing block having oppositefaces and a cylindrical bearing bore extending between said faces, saidshaft of said material advancing roller being journalled in said bore,said block being provided with a diametrically opposite pair of sidegrooves both opening through one said face and extending parallel to theaxis of said bore and each receiving a respective sa'id knob removablymounting said block at fixed elevation, said block having two otheropposite sides between said first mentioned sides and each said otherside being provided with a respective channel extending at right anglesto said axis and said channels being parallel, a second bearing blockidentical to said first block journalling said shaft of said floatingroller and disposed with the channels thereof vertical and receivingsaid vertical guides respectively thereinto and caged in verticallyfloating position thereby, said second block being removable from itssaid guides and said blocks being substitutable and changeable each forthe other.

2. In a sheet material roller feed arrangement comprising a materialadvancing roller, an overlying cooperaing floating roller and pair ofupright supporting frame elements, said rollers having equal diametershafts and disposed with said shafts extending between said elements,the combination of: a respective inwardly directed knob on each saidelement at the level of said shaft of said material advancing roller, arespective inwardly disposed vertical guide on each said elementextending above the respective said knob, a plurality of identicalbearing blocks each having a pair of opposite end faces and acylindrical bearing bore extending through the block between its saidfaces, each said block being provided with a diametrically opposite pairof said grooves both opening through a predetermined one of said endfaces and extending from said one face along the respective sides of theblock in directions parallel to the axis of said bore, said side groovesbeing adapted each to receive a respective said knob mounting such blockat fixed elevation and said block being adapted supportingly to receivethe shaft of a material advancing roller in its bore, each said blockbeing further provided with two diametrically opposite side channelslocated between said end faces and parallel thereto and to each otherand at right angles to said axis and said side channels being displacedaround the block from and disposed between the side grooves thereof,said blocks being adapted to be caged by said vertical guides engagingrespectively in said channels and each block when so caged being adaptedto receive the shaft of a floating roller in its bore thereby floatinglyto position such roller above a corresponding material advancing roller,whereby said blocks are self aligning when used for supporting saidmaterial advancing roller and may be substituted one for the other toprolong the useful lives thereof.

3. A bearing member comprising a rigid block having opposite faces and acylindrical bearing opening extending through the block between saidrespective faces, said block having a pair of exposed parallel channelsformed on respectively opposite sides of said block and extending atright angles to the axis of said cylindrical bearing opening, and saidbloc-k being provided with two exposed grooves disposed between saidchannels on other respectively opposite sides of the block, both saidgrooves opening through one of said faces and extending from said faceparallel to said axis for a distance equal to more than one half of thelength dimension of said block between said faces and said groovesterminating short of the other of said faces.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 296,551 1884 Frost 226l87 XEDWARD A. SROKA, Primary Examiner.

